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Author: Thomas Rowland
Publisher: Kemper Conseil Publishing & Consultancy
Published: 2018
Total Pages: 228
ISBN-13: 9789076542911
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →The game of tennis as a metaphor for philosophical questions. A Philosophy of Tennis provides a unique look at the big questions of philosophy examined through the lens of the game of tennis. This book is a fascinating and graceful read for players, coaches, and fans alike.
Author: Thomas Rowland
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-10-09
Total Pages: 292
ISBN-13: 0429858418
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Controversies in Exercise Science introduces a series of selected unresolved issues in the field of human exercise science. The common thread to all of these topics is that, in their ultimate resolution, they offer promise of insights into the essential principles of physiological systems and how these respond to the stresses of exercise. Each case study includes an examination of research surrounding each issue; the innovative aspect, however, will be that each of these controversies will be presented in the context of an historical and/or philosophical perspective. These chapter include topics related to basic exercise physiology, sports, physical activity, and exercise health. Underlying each of these debates lie clues which may offer insights into the basic nature of living beings. Aimed at both academics and practitioners in the fields of exercise science, biology, and related sports science disciplines, Controversies in Exercise Science provides arguments for both sides of several selected contemporary controversies in the field of exercise science and, while no ultimate resolution will be provided, the goal is, rather, to offer the reader sufficient "raw material" on which he or she might make their own judgement on the matters presented.
Author: Thomas Rowland
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Published: 2020-01-17
Total Pages: 233
ISBN-13: 1527545776
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Why do human beings behave the way they do? What governs how they act out their daily lives? It is not difficult to provide the traditional argument that it’s largely a matter of the culture in which we live, a product of the influences of family, peers, teachers, religious leaders, the movies we see, the books we read, and so forth. Such behavior often contradicts the independent nature of the human spirit, demanding a certain compromise—we depend on others for our needs, and to obtain these, we must behave accordingly. Evidence grows, however, that, in addition, much of our behavior has its roots in biological processes. Such information indicates that, whether we like to accept it or not, our conduct is often governed by biochemical agents within in the brain, an expression of our animalistic ancestral past, governed by our genetic inheritance, and all beyond the level of our conscious decision-making. This book addresses a series of such behaviors—love, jealousy, travel, suicide, etc.—and examines new-found perspectives that speak to a biological component in explaining just why we behave as we do. Certainly, such scientific insights are limited and currently provide only a narrow insight into human behavior. However, this information clearly forecasts the coming of a greater appreciation that, as members of the animal kingdom, we remain biological beings as well as members of a cooperative society.
Author: Thomas Rowland
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Published: 2020-09-10
Total Pages: 298
ISBN-13: 1527559246
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This book addresses how the general principles of biology influence the human capacity for locomotion, and, conversely, how understanding the nature of muscular activity might provide insights into the basic nature of living beings. Through a series of essays, the book relates the evolutionary basis of animal locomotion to recognizing the determinants of exercise capacity. While raising more questions than providing answers, the discussions will assume that without knowing the correct questions to ask, the answers will not be forthcoming. At the root of this book lies the central query: what is it that separates the principles governing the function of living beings from those that dictate the inanimate world? The discussions here address this issue from the expectation that clues to the answer can be obtained through understanding adaptations to the stresses imposed by physical exercise. As such, the book provides thought-provoking analyses of the biological basis of locomotion that will stimulate future efforts to understand these phenomena.
Author: David Baggett
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Published: 2021-05-11
Total Pages: 367
ISBN-13: 0813182883
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Tennis smashed onto the worldwide athletic scene soon after its modern rules and equipment were introduced in nineteenth-century England. Exciting, competitive, and uniquely accessible to people of all ages and talent levels, tennis continues to enjoy popularity, both as a recreational activity and a spectator sport. Life imitates sport in Tennis and Philosophy. Editor David Baggett approaches tennis not only as a game but also as a surprisingly rich resource for philosophical analysis. He assembles a team of champion scholars, including David Foster Wallace, Robert R. Clewis, David Detmer, Mark Huston, Tommy Valentini, Neil Delaney, and Kevin Kinghorn, to consider numerous philosophical issues within the sport. Profiles of tennis greats such as John McEnroe, Roger Federer, the Williams sisters, and Arthur Ashe are paired with pertinent topics, from the ethics of rage to the role of rivalry. Whether entertaining metaphysical arguments or examining the nature of beauty, these essays promise insightful discussion of one of the world's most popular sports.
Author: Frédéric Gros
Publisher: Verso Books
Published: 2023-07-11
Total Pages: 273
ISBN-13: 1804290440
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This “passionate affirmation of the simple life” explores how walking has influenced history’s greatest thinkers—from Henry David Thoreau and John Muir to Gandhi and Nietzsche (Observer) “It is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth.” —Nietzsche In this French bestseller, leading thinker and philosopher Frédéric Gros charts the many different ways we get from A to B—the pilgrimage, the promenade, the protest march, the nature ramble—and reveals what they say about us. Gros draws attention to other thinkers who also saw walking as something central to their practice. On his travels he ponders Thoreau’s eager seclusion in Walden Woods; the reason Rimbaud walked in a fury, while Nerval rambled to cure his melancholy. He shows us how Rousseau walked in order to think, while Nietzsche wandered the mountainside to write. In contrast, Kant marched through his hometown every day, exactly at the same hour, to escape the compulsion of thought. Brilliant and erudite, A Philosophy of Walking is an entertaining and insightful manifesto for putting one foot in front of the other.
Author: Heiner Bielefeldt
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2003-05-29
Total Pages: 236
ISBN-13: 9780521818131
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →This book explores in detail the role that symbolic representation plays in the architecture of Kant's philosophy. Symbolic representation fulfills a crucial function in Kant's practical philosophy because it serves to mediate between the unconditionality of the categorical imperative and the inescapable finiteness of the human being. By showing how the nature of symbolic representation plays out across all areas of the practical philosophy--moral philosophy, legal philosophy, philosophy of history and philosophy of religion--Heiner Bielefeldt offers a unique perspective on how these various facets of Kant's philosophy cohere.
Author: Gary Cox
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2010-09-09
Total Pages: 145
ISBN-13: 1441193146
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Do life's big questions perplex you? This book, now available in paperback, will give you answers to some of them while revealing that others have no answer. A humorous but informed instruction manual to questions philosophers have been asking and attempting to answer for centuries, How to Be A Philosopher will help you: • Think, talk, argue and persuade like a philosopher. • Win every agument by tying people in philosophical knots. • Ask questions and raise doubts about things most people take for granted. • Realise that almost nothing is certain. • Get the absolute final word on that question about a falling tree. A practical guide to philosophising, the book explains philosophical ideas with examples drawn from such great works as Family Guy, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Matrix and Red Dwarf. The book also argues that learning to philosophise will help you think more clearly and honestly about your own life. The book even gives practical advice on how to make a living from philosophy!
Author: Steven D. Hales
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Published: 2021-03-05
Total Pages: 320
ISBN-13: 1119635551
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →THIS IS PHILOSOPHY “The second edition of This is Philosophy improves upon an excellent first edition. This clear, succinct book is quite possibly the best introduction to Western philosophy on the market.” —Gregory Morgan, Stevens Institute of Technology “This is a terrific book. The writing is not only extremely clear, it is downright gripping—with relevant and detailed examples at every turn. Steven Hales has produced not just a great little introduction to philosophy—he has produced a great little book in philosophy, period.” —Michael Lynch, University of Connecticut “Hales clearly explains important philosophical ideas with a minimum of jargon and without sacrificing depth of content and he consistently gives a fair and accurate presentation of both sides of central philosophical disputes.” —Matthew Van Cleave, Teaching Philosophy As the oldest discipline in the academy, philosophy began by asking questions of the world and of human nature. Philosophers are responsible for the Enlightenment and laid the foundations for constitutional governments. Yet, while it may have given birth to the natural sciences, philosophy has earned a contemporary reputation as an esoteric and impractical field out of touch with everyday life—but it doesn’t have to be that way. This is Philosophy: An Introduction expertly guides students through the fundamentals of philosophy by illuminating difficult, abstract ideas with straightforward language. Assuming no prior background in the subject, this volume brings philosophical concepts into sharp focus through relatable examples and clear explanations of philosophy’s big questions and arguments. The second edition of this accessible textbook is organized around seven central philosophical problems, including ethics, the existence of God, free will, personal identity, philosophy of mind, and epistemology. New to this edition is a chapter on political philosophy that explores the state of nature, anarchy, contractarianism, libertarianism, and the liberal state. These self-contained chapters have been reordered and recalibrated to best suit the needs of introductory philosophy courses, and can be taught independently or in sequence. Enhanced by updated examples, new hyperlinks and references, and detailed bibliographies, the book is complemented by extensively-revised online resources available to instructors, including a 200-question test bank and over 450 PowerPoint slides designed to strengthen student comprehension of key concepts. Strengthening the popular first edition which launched the series, This is Philosophy: An Introduction, Second Edition is the perfect primary textbook for beginning philosophy students as well as general readers with an interest in philosophy.
Author: Richard Kraut
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2011-12-02
Total Pages: 240
ISBN-13: 0190208244
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →Are there things we should value because they are, quite simply, good? If so, such things might be said to have "absolute goodness." They would be good simpliciter or full stop - not good for someone, not good of a kind, but nonetheless good (period). They might also be called "impersonal values." The reason why we ought to value such things, if there are any, would merely be the fact that they are, quite simply, good things. In the twentieth century, G. E. Moore was the great champion of absolute goodness, but he is not the only philosopher who posits the existence and importance of this property. Against these friends of absolute goodness, Richard Kraut here builds on the argument he made in What is Good and Why, demonstrating that goodness is not a reason-giving property - in fact, there may be no such thing. It is, he holds, an insidious category of practical thought, because it can be and has been used to justify what is harmful and condemn what is beneficial. Impersonal value draws us away from what is good for persons. His strategy for opposing absolute goodness is to search for domains of practical reasoning in which it might be thought to be needed, and this leads him to an examination of a wide variety of moral phenomena: pleasure, knowledge, beauty, love, cruelty, suicide, future generations, bio-diversity, killing in self-defense, and the extinction of our species. Even persons, he proposes, should not be said to have absolute value. The special importance of human life rests instead on the great advantages that such lives normally offer. "When one reads this, one sees the possibility of real philosophical progress. If Kraut is right, I'd be wrong to say that this book is good, period. Or even great, period. But I will say that, as a work of philosophy, and for those who read it, it is excellent indeed." --Russ Shafer-Landau, University of Wisconsin-Madison
